Stats: Americans Will Change Travel Habits After Coronavirus

According to Destination Analysts, a market research company, COVID-19 is changing how Americans choose their travel destinations and the experiences they seek–at least for awhile. In the latest wave of Destination Analysts' Coronavirus Travel Sentiment tracking study (collected March 27-29), 66.1 percent of the 1,200+ American leisure and business travelers surveyed said their travel had been upended by the virus—essentially flat from last week, and far less dramatic than the 20-percentage point gain from one week prior.

In spite of this, Americans miss traveling. Although when asked the first word they associate with travel in the present moment, fear is expressed, two-thirds agree or strongly agree that they "miss travel…I can't wait to get out and travel again."

According to Destination Analysts, a sentiment that will be critical to how travel industry recovers is how Americans feel about the travel they used to do—and if they return to the same set of desires and trip experiences or alter them. As of this week, nearly one-third of American travelers now say they will change the types of destinations they choose to visit after the coronavirus situation is resolved (29.0 percent). Another 26.0 percent are unsure if they will.